Dystopian Author: Peering Into The Future? Looking At Dystopian Sci-Fi
The dystopian author can sometimes been seen as a pessimist, always looking for gloom and doom. Are they deluded or peering into the future?
The dystopian author can sometimes be seen as a pessimist, always looking for gloom and doom. Those who frown upon dystopian writing will see the idea of a dystopian society as something of a fantasy concocted from the minds of conspiracy theorists.
Throughout fiction, TV, graphic novels, and movies in the last ten years or so, the idea of a dystopian society as the setting for a story or film has been incredibly popular. However, just how likely are they to move into the realm of reality in the near future?
As a dystopian author, I have always been interested in the idea of the world we live in being plunged into turmoil. The world could be plunged into a horrific zombie apocalypse, a cataclysmic natural disaster, or famine that causes society to offer sacrifices to fight in a vile form of entertainment.
Either way, these various incarnations of a dystopian society give the audience or reader a glimpse into a world that could be on the horizon. Within this creative writing blog, I don’t claim to believe that the world is about to head into a zombie apocalypse any time soon. However, I love allowing the ‘What if…’ question to pop into my mind when it comes to planning and writing my novels and short stories.
As a dystopian author, are we conspiracy theorists or fantasists who have overheated imaginations? Is the dystopian society we create in our fiction something completely outlandish? Let’s discuss.
As a dystopian author, I have made plans for 2020. Click on the image to read how I plan to make 2020 a success.
The Zombie Apocalypse
The first dystopian future I was exposed to as a teenager was that of the video game, Resident Evil on the Playstation One. It was a game that completely blew my mind and opened up the idea of a dystopian society being a possibility.
Yes, the idea of zombies biting and infecting the citizens of Racoon City may come across as something that is relatively far fetched. However, the concept of a zombie apocalypse has not been a new idea. The undead have inspired the minds of creatives the world over for years. These include:
- Dawn of the Dead – movie (1978),
- World War Z – novel (2012),
- Shaun of the Dead – movie (2004)
- The Walking Dead – comic series (2003 – 2019).
The list above shows examples of how various writers and directors have used the idea of a zombie apocalypse as a setting for their movie, novel, or comic. Whether they have been a comedy, a serious piece of fiction, or a commentary on the state of society, it doesn’t matter. Each of the above has been hits in their own right. They have raised the question as to whether the dystopian society of a zombie apocalypse could happen.
As I move to finish the final piece of The Iris Trilogy, the possibility of writing a zombie apocalypse piece is not in my immediate future. Considering so many movies and tv shows have been made of the genre so far, I would have to look elsewhere for my next project as a dystopian author.
I also think, out of the three examples I have chosen, this would have to be the least likely ever to happen. Yes, I find the idea entertaining, and I was ‘bitten’ by the genre at an early age, but I don’t see the world being overrun by the undead soon.
What do you guys think? How likely is it that the undead could give us a real-life dystopian society? Comment below.
The Virus
Within the dystopian society of Hexingham, The Institute experiment on the young Iris to find cures to viruses. Click on the image to get your Kindle copy for just £1.99.When I came up with the idea for The Iris Trilogy in Inside Iris, Anna’s Awakening, and book three (name yet to be revealed), I was incredibly interested in the idea of medicine starting to lose its effectiveness against viruses and disease.
In the world we are living in, there are real-life situations that pose threats to the world and society as we know it. When researching Inside Iris, I looked up real viruses and diseases on the World Health Organisation, such as:
- COVID-19,
- Ebola,
- Dengue Fever, and
- Swine or Bird Flu.
By looking at such viruses and diseases, I could base the novel on real-life situations that were troubling doctors and governments across the globe. As a dystopian author, this intrigued me and made me want to use this as the threat within the dystopian society of Hexingham and the research facility of The Institute.
The idea of a virus being the most significant threat for a futuristic society is the most real in my opinion, and it gave me so much scope to explore various avenues, like:
- Genetics,
- Viral outbreaks,
- Governmental corruption, and
- Medical ethics.
I wanted to explore the idea of whether humanity would turn a blind eye to doctors fighting disease if they used live human subjects. Would the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few? Also, if such a programme were to take place, could a government cover it up to save humanity?
What do you guys think? How likely is it that a virus would give us a real-life dystopian society? Comment below.
Click on the image to see the fiction books I have released so far. Both Inside Iris and Anna’s Awakening are available for purchase on Kindle and paperback from Amazon.
The Human Sacrifices
One movie series that gripped me from the first moment I was introduced to it was Battle Royale. The Japanese futuristic dystopian society is one that captures a class of teenagers and forces them to battle to the death under the revolutionary Battle Royale Act.
In later works of fiction and movies, the idea of children fighting to the death was brought to a young adult audience in the Hunger Games trilogy. With the belief that districts fight to the death in a battle for food and fame, Suzanne Collins used a similar approach to engage audiences. She created a society that was driven by bloodlust for the amusement of those in The Capital.
The dystopian author or screenwriter who composes stories like those above can be judged by onlookers who may consider them to be fantasists. The people who judge would claim that such a dystopian society could never exist or be allowed to come into existence. However, if food were to become scarce in the years ahead, could warring districts or tribes be a reality?
Another fact is how we, as a species, have been drawn in by bloodsports. From extreme illegal examples that involve animals or ancient traditions like gladiators, through to lesser extremes, like UFC and boxing, the human race has always had a fascination with combat. Is it too far to suggest that humankind could resort to such methods of entertainment in the future?
What do you guys think? How likely is it that citizens could be ‘sacrificed’ for sport or to feed thousands? Comment below.
Click the image to read the blog article above.
The Dystopian Author: Who Are We?
As a dystopian author who loves to explore the intricacies of a dystopian society, I am a man who likes to take real-life issues and turn them up to heightened levels. I love to use aspects of science and explore how they could be developed or evolve in the world of the not too distant future.
As writers, those who create a world that explores dystopian traits, like famine, disease, viruses, and even the undead, love to explore how the human race adapt or battle to survive. The survival can be against an undead hoard or a totalitarian state; it doesn’t matter. The struggle characters face is real within that setting, and we love to see them grow, develop, and sometimes stumble as they fight for survival.
I love being a dystopian sci-fi author, and within The Iris Trilogy, I hope to share my love for creativity and questioning issues we face in the present day.
If you’re a dystopian author, comment below about whether you feel you are a doom-monger or someone who likes to shine a light on issues that you are passionate about.
